DCS ‘Project Mom Alive’ donates 400 Birth Kits to IDP camps in Borno State

On Monday Deluxe Childbirth Services donated 400 birth kits to the United

Nations Population Fund (UNFPA) as part of its Project Mom Alive

initiative in an event attended by the Deputy Mission Director of USAID,

the Country Representative of UNFPA, Heads of other UN agencies in

Nigeria, Fed Ministry of Health , National Emergency Management Agency

(NEMA) and ladies and gentlemen of the press.

The Kits will support pregnant women in internally displaced persons settlements in Boko Haram-affected communities in Borno State.

In her opening remarks, the Founder/Managing Partner Deluxe Childbirth

Services Iphie Chuks-Adizue said ‘Reducing the maternal mortality rate in

Nigeria is the purpose for which Deluxe Childbirth Services was birthed.

After 3 years of successfully linking over 150 expectant parents to

excellent but affordable medical services in the US with excellent

results, we believe it’s time to action Phase 2 of the assignment. 

As such, under the auspices of our Project Mom Alive initiative which is

aimed at improving maternal health care in Nigeria, we have identified

infections as one of the top killer of women during childbirth and this

has led to our commitment to adopt 3 IDP camps in Maiduguri where we will

provide a Birthing kit for every pregnant woman in these camps. We

strongly believe that no expectant mother should have to go through the

instability of insurgency and die leaving her baby alone in an unfriendly

world due to infections. This – on behalf of my team and all Deluxe

Parents -is our little contribution to save humanity”.

The U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID) facilitated the

transfer of the birth kits by making initial contact with Deluxe

Childbirth Services, identifying UNFPA as the partner organization that

would take receipt of the kits as well as leveraging its ongoing projects

to transport the birth kits free of charge to the UNFPA warehouse in

Kaduna and also provide 400 doses of Chlorhexidine—an antibiotic gel that

prevents cord infection in newborns—that will accompany the birth kits.

USAID Deputy Director Julie Koenen said, “The U.S. Government will

continue to support further collaboration between the private sector and

the development community in Nigeria. She also commended Deluxe Childbirth

Services for the kind and generous contribution; and expressed hope that

this gesture would give way to more collaboration between other Private

Organizations and Development Communities”.

The kits were received by the UNFPA Country Representative Ratidzai

Ndhlovu; who expressed sincere gratitude for the donation. She also said,

“By 2015, 60,000 births are expected in IDP camps.  UNFPA anticipates that

the donation of these 400 birth kits will be an additional tool for

improving the health of newborn babies in the camps.”

Representing the National Emergency Management Agency (NEMA), Dr. Onimode Bandele commended Deluxe Childbirth Service saying he believes that with assistance like this from other corporate bodies and individuals “we will

be able to survive the aftermath of insurgency in Nigeria”. He also

committed to personally donating 20 Birth Kits to the IDP camps via Deluxe

Childbirth Services; and receipt of his cash commitment was been received

same day.

All Kits are already in Maiduguri and will be distributed in three

settlements for internally displaced persons. The UNFPA will train skilled

birth attendants on their use. Each birth kit contains an absorbent

delivery mat, three Pampers Baby-dry diapers, one bar of Safeguard

anti-bacterial soap, one scalpel, one bottle of methylated spirit, one

bottle of olive oil, 10 sanitary pads, five pieces of gauze, a pack of

cotton wool, two sterilized gloves, infant cord clamps and one mucus

extractor.